New Dog to the Home

[rodneyc]

We have two dogs who got along well. One was an English Bulldog 10 years old and the other a Cocker Spaniel who is five. The Cocker was added when a friend passed away and they had no place for the dog. We took her so she would not go to the dog shelter. Their were some issues at first but she bonded well with the 10 year old English Bulldog. Now another person who had cancer and had a three year old English Bulldog asked
that we please take her dog. She has always worked and took the dog to the Vet who kept the dog during the day (doggie day care). Now she was having chemo treatments and was leaving the dog overnight a lot of
the time. Ok so now the new dog to the pack is attacking the other two dog over food and toys and has snapped at me on a couple of occasions when i have tried to get her out of the chair. They are all females. Any one have any suggestions on a good dog training book for a three year old dog that was not properly trained in socialiazation ect. I have no idea if the dog has had any proper training.

[felicity]

Hi Rodney,

when I read your thread, I feel that your new dog expresses a lot of dominance. She is trying to establish her alpha position in her new pack (including you!) One thing that jumped into my eyes is "she has a go at you when you try to get her out of the chair". So my advice to you is the following:
- you must start immediately and put her back into her place, which is the bottom of the pack!
- always give her the food after the other two. Do not just put it down, make her sit and wait for a couple of minutes until you give her the ok to be allowed to eat. (this establishes your position as a pack leader and her dependence on you!)
- never, ever let her sleep or lay on your furniture (bed, chair, sofa whatever) She should have her own spot she can call her own, but this should never be shared with the pack-leader!
- When you come home, or enter your house and she greets you, ignore her, until she settles and YOU are ready to give her attention. Again, this establishes you as a pack leader!
- Give her plenty of excercise to get rid of "negative energy", give her a purpose
- when she gets into a fight with the other two, push her down and put her on her back. This is what the alpha dog would do

I hope this helps a little. There are tons of Cesar Milan videos and other trainers on youtube about dominance in dogs and what you can do. Just check it out!! Good luck

Felicity

[McMegan]

Hi, I posted this on your other thread but I'm reposting here, too, since I'm not sure which one will get viewed.

Jean Donaldson has two excellent books: "Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs" and "Culture Clash" that you may find helpful. "Culture Clash" has some very basic but easy-to-follow day-by-day/step-by-step guides to reducing resource-guarding and "Mine" goes into more depth.

You might also look into Dr. Karen Overall's Protocol for Relaxation (free, here: Protocol for relaxation) - this is not formal obedience but an excellent calming strategy that will also build up the bond between you and each of your dogs.

Finally, you may want to speak to a professional trainer or certified behaviorist in your area. APDT.com is an excellent resource to help you locate someone who can help your three dogs acclimate to each other. Regardless of whether the new dog has had any formal training in the past, now is as good a time as any to start and, if the trainer offering the class deems it safe, you may wish to enroll in a beginning group obedience class to help her brush up on her manners, develop a stronger bond with you, and help to revise her feelings about interacting with other dogs.

Good luck and happy reading!